You Bought Your First STR (short-term Rental)….. Now What?

by | Mar 28, 2021 | Insights

I Have successfuly ran and profited from 7 Short-term rentals and I know the ABC’s of making them EXTRA successful!” – Laurie (CEO of Distinctive Getaways)

  1. Hopefully you have had a home inspection. If you didn’t get one, mentally prepare yourself for some issues. If you did, make sure you fix the items in the home inspection, so they don’t get worse.
  2. Have your HVAC serviced? (If has ran the course of its life span, decide if you
    want to replace it. I promise, great chance it will die when you are the busiest with customers and at the worst time!)
  3. Have your drains in your sinks and showers snaked. This way whatever gunk is there, it will be gone. Last thing you want is a an unhappy customer with drain issues!
  4. Check the age of your hot water heater, if you didn’t have a home inspection and see how many gallons it holds. If you have a spa tub that will be used a lot, you will need a larger tank. If it is at the end of its life think about replacing it. This is a great investment and a headache saver.
  5. If you have rugs in your major living areas, check and see their condition. If they even look dingy or dirty think about replacing them with LTV. I made this mistake and put beautiful expensive carpet in and in one year it was ruined. If you are renting near a beach or somewhere near alot of rain, this will the the worst mistake you make.
  6. Check the corners of your walls where guests might hit their suitcases on and install plastic or metal trim. I promise you this THE SINGLE suggestion that will keep your walls from getting gauge marks in them. No one thinks about this in a regular home, but teh Airbnb world is different!
  7. Check your baseboard color. If its dingy paint them white it makes the room pop and makes a home fee much cleaner!
  8. Check your paint colors. If all the rooms are different colors paint the whole rental 1 color…cream or gray works best and easiest to keep up with amatch to. This way touch ups are much easier also!
  9. Check your light. Make sure your rooms are well lit. Also check and see if they are all the same finish. Nothing makes a property look more dated then having lights, ceiling fans, knobs, pulls all different finishes. Gold and CHamapagne are currently making a huge comback!
  10. Lastly decide on a theme or a color story and decorate around it. Nothing is worse than mixing colors that don’t blend. I never decorate with more than three colors. You want everything to flow from room to room. I am all about creating WOW factor in my properties. If you need help, inlist an interior deocrator!

GOODLUCK AND FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT WITH QUESTIONS!

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